Poor Selena. Not only does she have to carry the financial burden of supporting her family, but she’s just seen her husband getting way too familiar with Geneva, the nanny, on the appropriately-named nanny cam. Things hadn’t been good with her husband Graham for a while, but this is the event that threatens to push her over the edge and declare her marriage over for good. Still . . . it will totally disrupt the lives of her two young sons not to mention herself and force her to admit to her family that her marriage is over. While stewing on the train home, another woman notices her discomfort and begins confiding her own problems: that she’s sleeping with her boss and might lose her job if his wife (who owns the company) finds out. While Selena appreciates having someone to vent to, she begins to wonder about her indiscretions when “Martha, from the train” begins texting her asking to meet up again. When Geneva the nanny disappears, it doesn’t look good for Graham and Selena begins to wonder just what her husband has been getting up to. The story also includes chapters devoted to Pearl, a teen girl whose mother was murdered. Her mother’s former boyfriend Charlie rescues Pearl from the situation and they flee the area. He begins to teach her the ways of conning people and they spend the next decade or so traveling around the country looking for the next score. Pearl changes her identity frequently, so we have no idea who she is in the present story. The suspense is kept up as Selena tries to unravel what happened to Geneva, as well as what Martha wants from her. I thought the final “epilogue” was a bit long-winded, but the story kept my interest and was enjoyable.

Strangers telling each other their deepest secrets starts the ball rolling as we find many characters with secrets, characters who tell lies, characters who are manipulative, and characters who aren’t who they seem.

Martha and Selena meet by chance on the train coming home, and they exchange secrets.

Martha is having an affair with her boss.

Selena saw in the nanny camera that her husband was having an affair with the nanny.

Martha replied by saying that maybe the nanny will disappear, and then the nanny does disappear.

Selena doesn't reply but regrets telling her secret.

What do all of these characters have to do with each other and with the events that have been happening?

There are quite a few characters to keep straight and characters that cross paths, but how do they all fit in and connect?

CONFESSIONS ON THE 7:45 is truly addictive. It is one surprise after another.

You won’t want to put it down because of the writing and the cunning, who-do-you-believe characters and the who-could-think-of these things that are happening.

Make sure this book makes it into your TBR for this fall. 5/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was hooked from the very first page and devoured this book in two sittings!

Online, she lives that #blessed life but at home, Selena’s world is falling apart. Stuck on a train next to a sympathetic stranger, Selena shares that her husband is cheating on her with the nanny. The stranger is sleeping with her boss. “Don’t you ever wish your problems would take care of themselves?” From that moment on, secrets tucked safely in the past are brutally revealed, trust is broken, and no one turns out to be exactly what they seem to be on the surface.

I loved the story being told from multiple points of view. Although I had resolved character relationships a little over halfway through, how those relationships evolved was everything I needed them to be. It was a fast-paced read and once picked up, I didn’t want to put it down. This was my first experience with Lisa Unger’s writing and I won’t hesitate to pick up other titles by her.

This book is rather dark (but what do you expect from a suspense novel?) but beautifully written, full of twists, and it will keep your attention. I thought it was a bit confusing at the beginning until it becomes clear who everyone is or will turn out to be, but it's definitely worth staying with because once you figure that out, it all comes together masterfully. If you're a fan of suspense, I'd highly recommend this book. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance e-ARC of this compelling novel.

This was a fabulously unique thriller. I read it in one weekend. Selena Murphy strikes up a conversation with a mysterious woman named Martha on the train home from the city. The train stalls and they are stuck in the train car and start talking about their lives. Martha tells Selena she's having an affair with her boss and somehow Selena finds herself confessing that her husband is having an affair with the nanny. The train starts back up and Selena thinks that's the end of it, but not in this twisty tale. The nanny turns up missing and then the mysterious Martha texts Selena suggesting they get together. Selena doesn't remember giving Martha her number. Is there a connection between Martha and the missing nanny? It appears there might be. You will be hooked from the start, unable to stop reading to the very shocking end. The wow factor is off the charts. #Confessionsonthe745 #Netgalley

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Confessions on the 7:45

Author: Lisa Unger

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 3/5

Recommended For...: mystery lovers, thrill seekers, crime

Publication Date: October 6, 2020

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Recommended Age: 18+ (violence, gore, sexual content, romance, death, and marital issues)

Publisher: Park Row

Pages: 368

Synopsis: Be careful to whom you tell your darkest secrets…

Selena Murphy is commuting home from her job in the city when the train stalls out on the tracks. She strikes up a conversation with a beautiful stranger in the next seat, and their connection is fast and easy. The woman introduces herself as Martha and confesses that she’s been stuck in an affair with her boss. Selena, in turn, confesses that she suspects her husband is sleeping with the nanny. When the train arrives at Selena’s station, the two women part ways, presumably never to meet again.

But days later, Selena’s nanny disappears.

Soon Selena finds her once-perfect life upended. As she is pulled into the mystery of the missing nanny, and as the fractures in her marriage grow deeper, Selena begins to wonder, who was Martha really? But she is hardly prepared for what she’ll discover.

Review: For the most part this was a good book. The book was well paced and the characters were well done. The book did well with the plot as well.

However, the book was predictable and I predicted the ending early on. The book also didn't have a lot of world building.

Verdict: Predictable, but good!

Suspenseful and enigmatic, this book has to be read to the very end to unravel all the secrets. A little confusing to keep all the characters straight but a page turner nonetheless.

Serena Murphy misses an earlier train and returns to her office to watch the video she’s secretly recorded of her husband Graham making love to Geneva, the nanny. She then takes the 7:45 train home. She sits next to Martha, an attractive woman with a secret. She sleeping with her married boss, she confesses to Serena. Serena shares the story of Graham and Geneva, then arrives at her stop and leaves Martha behind. At least that’s what she thinks. And so begins the wild ride that is Confessions on the 7:45, the newest psychological thriller from Lisa Unger.

At home, Serena confronts Graham. But then Geneva goes missing and Serena and Graham were the last people to see her. Where is she? What did Graham do? And why does Martha keep texting Serena?

This story alternates with that of Pearl, a fifteen year old living with her mother Stella and Stella’s latest boyfriend Charlie. Pearl, a gifted student, is drawn to Charlie over their shared love of books. Over the years, as the two travel together, Pearl watches how he cleverly cons women. She learns from him.

Confessions on the 7:45 is a challenging, satisfying read. There are many carefully plotted stories here. At first, they may seem confusing but they move closer and closer together until they intertwine around a theme of family. Lisa Unger never disappoints. This is a 5 star read.

I love a good phycological thriller and this one does not disappoint. Selena had a perfect life - a job, a husband, two boys, an amazing nanny. But then things start to get weird after she meets a woman on the 7:45 train. The nanny goes missing. Her husband is a suspect. And she receives a text message from the woman on the train.

I've been wanting to read this for a long time and was excited to get it. I can say it did not disappoint! A unique story of a woman Selena, who has it all. A husband she knew she loved from the first moment she met him. He's exciting and fun a little on the wild side. As the years pass a few cracks start to wedge into the happiness but that's normal right? Her husband loses his job and she has to go to work. Finding a nanny to be with the boys while her husband searched for a work was perfect and she is amazing with the boys. Heading home after work she misses her normal train and has to take a later one. She meets a woman on the 7:45 train who draws her into a conversation while the train is being repaired. For those brief moments they exchange secrets that normally would be left secret. The woman seems so familiar and easy to talk to. Selena thinks she will never see her new friend again but as her home life spirals down she finds the new friend reaching out to her. Should she connect or ghost her?
Well written as usual. Lisa Unger is a master story teller and I really enjoy her books. This is no exception. You will enjoy it and it will make you look in the mirror and ask yourself if you would do as she did. Thank you NetGalley, Lisa Unger one the publishers for allowing me to read the ARC I highly recommend this read.

First of all, get ready to make a list of all these women. Lots of wives, mothers, sisters, friends, coworkers and singles, good, bad and in between in this compelling new novel. Kind of like Strangers on a Train meets the classic con game House of Cards. Layer upon layer of lies and deceit, greed and envy, love and hate, family vs nurture in every tightening chapter. Thoroughly enjoyed it and when I wasn’t reading it, I was thinking about it.

It takes awhile to place all the characters in this thriller. Personalities are jumbled together and sorting out is necessary. Once the rhythm of the end is established I kept tuneing the pages to see what would happen in this pyschological twisty story. Infedility, lying, intrigue, murder, duplicity are all wrapped together to form a unique package. I enjoyed the read.

Confessions on the 7:45 by Lisa Unger is a superb page turner. Well worth the time and the read! Looking forward to the next novel.

When Selena catches her husband and nanny having an affair she's unsure of what to do and spills her concerns to a stranger on the train home from work. What should be a fairly simple decision of whether to end her marriage or forgive her husband turns into a twisted mess when the nanny disappears and her husband gets pulled in for questioning. I applaud Unger's ability to weave numerous threads to form the whole of this story.

Confessing secrets to a stranger you think you will never see again seems like a good idea until later when you realize that it isn't. When that stranger starts texting you even though you didn't give her your phone number, you understand what a mistake your confession was. This is what happens in Unger's latest book, Confessions on the 7:45, a highly suspenseful and creepy tale will have you feeling like you are riding on a speeding, out-of-control train.

What I Loved

What I loved most in this novel is the theme of what it means to be a family that is delicately layered and subtly threaded throughout the story. The people that make up your family can be ever-changing and doesn't rely on blood, but what marks it are the feelings of loyalty and protection. Throughout the story, I met a few different types of family, and those groupings illuminated what it means to be family in a way that is not typically seen.

I loved the fast pace and short chapters and how that let suspense continue unfettered as the story unfolded. I love these two attributes in thrillers, and Confessions gave them all the gusto of a runaway train. I was not too fond of it when I had to put the book down to take care of things.

The characters are so approachable. They are your neighbors and friends, and you would never expect what secrets they hide. And boy are there secrets upon secrets, which are all unraveled slowly and methodically throughout the reading. I guessed many of them, but I did not see the ending coming until it was there, and then I was pretty flabbergasted.

There is a more significant theme of people not being who they say they are, which is supported through the conman angle, and people were not who I thought they were. I even loved the role that infidelity played in the story. Almost a character in its own right, adultery was the source of much that went wrong in the novel.

To Read or Not to Read

If you are looking for a fast-paced thriller, one that takes you on a runaway train ride, this is a book you won't want to miss.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Set mostly in a neighborhood within commuting distance of NYC, this story alternates points of view among several characters, but every switch moves the story forward and that part is easy to follow. I did have difficulty understanding that some of the sections are set in the past, as it wasn't clear from the beginning of any of those sections. I loved seeing the strong women and the unexpected twists in the narrative. Recommended.

This is Unger at her finest. Really suspenseful and twisty thriller where you just have to keep reading to figure out how the stories intersect. I read the book over a weekend and kept trying to carve out time to finish. That’s when you know you’ve got a winner.

I loved getting inside the minds of the characters with the author using their POV to love the plot along. Some dark and twisted stuff in there but told in a way that makes you empathetic towards the flawed characters. Except for a couple of those jerky characters....ugh, just the worst. I won’t spoil anything and say who.

Well done. I will be recommending this one to thriller fans.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Unpopular opinion alert! I did not feel this book. I began with interest, but with each new character and chapter/narrator p.o.v. I became more and more detached from the story. I just couldn’t find anything to tether me to the story and hold my interest, so I found myself a bit bored. I like a book where I can feel some kind of connection to the characters and I couldn’t find that with this one. I also really really disliked everyone! That’s made it a chore, and I really don’t my like my chores.

BUT!! With that being said, those who love a twisty thriller full of criminal behavior, deceit, cheating men, power-hungry women, will adore this latest Unger thriller, I'm sure of it. It will fly from the shelves of bookstores and there will be months long waits at libraries. Unger resists a straight formula, which is admirable.

For me, these kinds of thrillers are adrenaline-rushed gorges which become fairly forgettable with each subsequent book. But those who enjoy those rides, get ready for a doozy. If you prefer a mystery with character depth and growth and at least one decent human, you might pass on this one. We can be sure Unger will be turning in plenty of new books in no time as she’s certainly found her stride.

This thriller was totally twisted! It was also very confusing. There are a LOT of characters to remember. This is told in multiple viewpoints so I was scrambling sometimes to remember who was who. This caused some boredom on my end for the first 50% of the book. I’m happy to report that it did get more interesting and I flew through the last 30% of the book. The plot does finally come together and it’s shocking. The writing was well done and the conclusion was executed nicely. Not my favorite book of hers but I’ll definitely read more from her. My thanks to the publisher for the advance reader in exchange for my honest review.

I received this book and wasn't sure what to expect. I didn't read the synopsis of it prior to diving in. From the minute I started it, I could not put it down. The format of the book is written in chapters from the perspective of 6 of the characters, at first it is just 3 of the main characters and then a few thrown in like side comments. This type of format normally annoys me when it is more than 2 different monologues because timing etc sometimes jumps from past and present and I get lost in what is really going on. Surprising for me, it worked in this story. Selena misses her normal train home from the city and has to take the later train, she checks in on her family through her security cameras where she watches her husband and the nanny having sex in the playroom while her kids are downstairs watching TV. She seems almost indifferent to what she sees. When she gets on the train she sits next to a pretty brunette who seems almost familiar to her. The train stalls and the young woman confesses to her that she is sleeping with her married boss. Selena tells her that her husband is sleeping with the nanny, not knowing why she told her. The twists and turns begin after this conversation. Fast paced drama and so many unknown variables. People are not at all who they seem and so much darkness is brought to life. Selena's life turns into a train reck, but she comes out of it stronger.